Smallholder innovation for resilience (SIFOR)

For centuries, small-scale farmers and indigenous people have developed new tools and strategies to cope with their harsh environments — resilient crop varieties, genetically diverse seed systems and resource-conserving technologies. Many of these could prove vital in the effort to adapt agriculture to climate change. And yet most agricultural investment focuses on ‘top-down’ research and development, weakening the capacity of local people to innovate for independent adaptation. Through participatory action-research, tools development and capacity building, the SIFOR project will help redress the balance: nurturing smallholder advances and traditional knowledge, identifying innovations that enhance productivity; and linking small-scale farmers with crop scientists in four focal countries.

Follow the links below for more about our work on Biocultural heritage.